God and Man

Introduction

Luke 2:41–52 NIV

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

A relatively simple story

Jesus and his parents are faithful to keep the Law

Jesus remains behind without his parents knowing to spend time in the temple area learning and discussing theology

Side note: Not all things you don’t want your kids to do are sinful

Jesus particularly emphasizes his relationship with God and his mission

Jesus submits to his parents and continues to grow as a whole person

This text introduces a challenging idea that is easy to pass over: Jesus grew

One of the four descriptions of Jesus growth poses little problem

Favor with man – man changing is no problem for us

The other three are much harder

Jesus body grew

This is the easiest to work with but still – did God change?

Jesus grew in wisdom – did God learn?

Jesus grew in favor with God

Wasn’t Jesus God? How could he grow in favor with himself?

Wouldn’t growing in favor with God imply that there was something unfavorable in Jesus before he grew in favor?

Today we are going to focus on what the Bible teaches about the person of Jesus.

We are going to be in the deep water today so buckle up.

Jesus Is God

In This Text

Luke 2:49–50 NIV

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

These are Jesus first recorded words

The word “house” is not present in the original text

Literally – “in the of my father”

Some translations say “my Father’s business”

“In my Father’s house” makes sense of the temple context

Either way, Jesus is making it clear that

He has a special relationship with God

He expects his parents to recognize that

Jesus describes his relationship with God as a father/son relationship

Having God as father has multiple meanings

It can simply refer to God’s care as we use the term “our Father” or “Heavenly Father” or “Abba Father”

There is a more potent meaning though

The son’s distinctive identity is grounded in the trinitarian relationships of origin

He is the Word of God

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

He is the Image of God

Colossians 1:15 “15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

He is the Radiance of God

Hebrews 1:3 “3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

The only distinction between the persons of the one God is their relationship with one another

This makes the persons unique but allows them to share the same simple being

In Other Texts

He Is Called by God’s Names

Romans 9:5 “5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”

Hebrews 1:8 “8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.”

John 8:57–59 “57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”

Revelation 22:13 “13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 1:8 “8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.””

Matthew 16:13 “13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?””

Daniel 7:13–14 “13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

He Has God’s Attributes

Matthew 8:27 “27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!””

Mark 2:8 “8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?”

He speaks with God’s authority

Matthew 5:22 “22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

He receives God’s Worship

Philippians 2:9–11 “9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus Is Man

In This Text

We see the frailty of Jesus as one whose parents are anxiously searching for

Luke 2:48 “48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.””

We see him growing

In wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with man

In Other Texts

He is born

Matthew 1:18 “18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”

He became tired

John 4:6 “6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.”

He was hungry and thirsty

John 19:28 “28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.””

Matthew 4:2 “2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

He is raised with a human body

Luke 24:39 “39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.””

He experienced human emotions

John 12:27 “27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”

He learned

Hebrews 5:8 “8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered”

He was viewed by others as a man

Matthew 13:55–56 “55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?””

Jesus Is God and Man

Now this where it gets hard. Putting it together

Foundational terms

“The Trinity is a matter of five notions or properties, four relations, three persons, two processions, one substance or nature, and no understanding.” (Bernard Lonergan)

Foundational Terms

Person – Who?

Nature – What?

Trinity

One nature - One what

Three persons – Three who’s

Incarnation – The person of the son assumes human nature

The divine person became a person with two natures

The human did not exist before the birth of Jesus, but the divine person held the divine nature for eternity

This is why we use the language “assume” – take or begin to have

The union of two natures is not like the trinity – there is just one person

In this person we have the God-man

What we can say about either nature we can say about the person (“blood of God”) – Ac 20:28)

The divine nature is not lessen or constrained but exists in what we call the extra

Can we say that Mary was pregnant with God?

If we mean bearer of the person of the God-man Jesus Christ, yes

If we mean bearer of the triune God, no

Learning from Error

The problem a partial human (Apollinarianism) – Jesus had a human body but not a human mind or spirit

Our spirit must also be redeemed and what Jesus is not he cannot redeem

The problem of two persons in Christ (Nestorianism) – Jesus was two persons in one body

Jesus is a he not a they

The problem of mixing (Monophysitism)

Then the Son is neither God nor man

Learning from History

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine 2. The Solution to the Controversy: The Chalcedonian Definition of A.D. 451

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [coessential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has been handed down to us.

Conclusion

So how did Jesus grow?

Jesus is one person with two distinct natures

It is in the distinction of natures that Jesus is able to grow and change. God never stops being God by experiencing ignorance or change, nor does the human nature become creator.

Jesus’s human nature grows and develops.

He is never less than he should be, but he grows in the appropriate ways and experiences appropriate weaknesses according to the working of the Spirit

Weakness not sin

Stumble over words

Forget a name

Measure a cut incorrectly

Why does it matter?

Because we need the mediator between God and man to be both God and man – completely.

What do you have a hard time with here?

Imagining him to be truly God?

Imagining him to be truly Human?

How should we respond?

First, believe.

Second, worship

This is a mystery, but it is a beautiful mystery